Indicator



Patented Sept. 22, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INDICATOR Alphonso L. Rand, Worcester, Mass.

Application August 1, 1941, Serial No. 404,965

2 Claims. (C1. 116-130) The present invention relates to indicators of the type that are particularly adapted for use in a household to designate the fact that various items of household use are exhausted and need to be replenished. One use of such an indicator is in the kitchen in connection with various food supplies that are usually kept on hand, rather than being ordered for any particular meal.

According to the present invention, there is provided an improved indicator of the above described type that is characterized by its simplicity and convenience of operation. Furthermore, the indicator is capable of being used for a long period, by reason of the fact that the movable indicating elements that are employed to individually designate the items that need replenishment are attached to and form part o-f the indicator and so cannot become lost.

The above and other advantageous features of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of an indicator embodying the invention, with the indicating elements in their normal non-designating position.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing one or more indicating elements displaced to designate that certain items need replenishment.

Fig. 3 is a view in rear elevation of the indicator of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view on an enlarged scale, along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, the indicator consists of a base I in the form of a card, provided along its side edges with a series of notches 2, with the notches 2 being alined with a large number of printed iterns 3 representing various staple supplies that are found in the usual household kitchn, such as bread, butter, coffee, sugar, ete, While various items of food are shown on the card I, obviously the items 3 could represent household medical and toilet supplies, or even articles of hardware or oth'er small items sold in a store.

The card I also provides a series of notches 4 extending along its lower edge, these notches 4 being usually less in number than the two series of notches 2. These notches 4 serve for the storage in idle or non-indicating position of a series of indicating elements, each designated as a Whole by the numeral 5-any one or more of the same being susceptible, without detachment or separation from the base or card I, of transfer from its storage notch 4 to any selected item notch 2, where its presence Will indicate a need for replenishment of the particular item 3 that is designated by said notch 2.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, each indicating element 5 consists of a small bead 0 having an opening 'I through which extends an elastic band 8. At the end of said band, adiacent bead 6, is a suitable knot or enlargement 9 which prevents the bead 2 from becoming detached from its associated band. The several indicating devices are assembled upon the card by means of the other ends of the bands 8, said other ends being passed together through a pair of spaced openings II) in the central portion of the card and tied, as indicated at I I, so that the bands present free portions of substantially equal lengths to which the 4beads may be readily attached andheld in position by the knots 9.

The entire series of beads 6 are thus yieldingly maintained in position in the notches 4 by the inherent resiliency of the several bands. Whenever it is desired to indicate that any one of the items 3 require replenishment, it is only necessary to remove any one of the beads 6 from any notch 4 and to place this bead in the particular notch 2 correspondingto the item in question. The fact that all of the notches 2 and 4 are farther away from the point of attachment I0 of each band than the unstretched length of band insures that each bead 6 will always be securely held in one of the notches by reason of the tension placed on its associated band 8. Thus the beads 6 may be moved around with entire freedom to any of the notches 2, it being entirely immaterial whether a bead is moved to the right or to the left of the point` of attachment of its band to the card. Furthermore, the beads will not become lost, even though they may be entirely removed from the notches 2, and the bands themselves may be readily replaced when worn by ordinary elastic.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that by the present invention there is provided an improved indicator that is adapted to readily designate the fact that various items of common household use will require replenishment, with any one indicating element being adapted to designate any item on the indicator card.

I claim:

1. An indicator of the class described, comprising a plate having in one edge a series of item-designating notches and in another edge a series of storage notches, and a series of indicating devices, each consisting of a bead or marker and an elastic band suspending same from said plate, each band being shorter than the distance of any of said notches from said bands point of attachment to said plate, Whereby to be placed under tension by the selective disposal of its bead or marker in a storage notch or in an item-designating notch.

2. An indicator of the class described, comprising a plate having a series of storage notches, and a "series '.of other notches corresponding to item-designating indicia on the front of said plate, and a series of indicating devices for disposal selectively in said notches, each device consisting of a marker and an elastic band connecting same to the back of said plate, each band being shorter than the distance of any of said notches from said bands point of attachment to said plate, whereby to be placed under tension by the selective disposal of its bead or marker in a storage notch o1' in an item-designating 10 notch.

ALPHONSO L. RAND. 

